Is Silverline finally wising up?

[Cai Campbell]

Jeez, will wonders ever cease? I've actually found a few Silverline/Sanctuary titles that don't suck! These titles contain honest-to-goodness surround mixes (as opposed to the fake surround from stereo that are still being cranked out by the label). I had to dig a lot of dirt to find a few gems, but here they are:

- Van Zant - Brother To Brother

Ronnie Van Zant of Lynyrd Skynyrd is long gone, but his siblings are still carrying his torch. I was very skeptical of this release but it is surprisingly good! Solid song-writing and very professional production.

- Motorhead - Ace Of Spades

Unlike most of the heavy metal that came out of the 80's, this album is straight-ahead no bullshit, stripped down rock and roll. Killer riffs and a bad attitude keep this one sounding as fresh today as it did 20 years ago. This one's a keeper!

- Ministry - Animositisomina

If you like your surround mix all over the map, then this one is for you. It is loud, aggressive and schizophrenic as hell! A masochistic ride that drills through your psyche. I like it!

- Blue Oyster Cult - A Long Day’s Night

This one is live but it is a bona-fide surround recording. The band is tight and the performances are hot. Unfortunately, the recording is not the best fidelity and sounds somewhat muffled and claustrophobic... but not overly so. I mean, it's still very enjoyable but it could be better. I don't know if I got a defective disc or what, but my player refuses to play the MLP tracks. I had to rely on the DD tracks. If anyone else picks this up, please let me know if you run into the same problem.

The last title on my list of "Silverline Gold" is the only one that does not fall under the Silverline/Sanctuary banner. This one is actually from Immergent, but they're all part of 5.1 Entertainment, so I figure it’s worth mentioning.

- Gus Black - Uncivilized Love

This one caught me by surprise. I didn't really know what to expect. I had never even heard of the guy before. I am happy to report that I enjoyed this one a great deal! I would say that Gus Black's style is reminiscent of Beck's, but with more of a contemporary pop focus. Excellent song-writing and production. The surround mix is strong but a tad on the conservative side, but I think it fits well with Gus' approach here.

 

[timw]

Cai, Thx for the scoop! I was wondering
how the mixes were on a couple of these that u mentioned....
Has anyone taken a chance/gamble on any of those Silverline "Live from the Front Row" discs yet?? Did they take the easy way out and just mix them....Band up front...Crowd in rears??? Just curious,

Tim

 

[Cai Campbell]

From what I've heard (BTO, Pat Benatar and Elvin Bishop) the "Live From The Front Row" series is your standard Silverline "fake surround" from stereo.

 

[Quadzilla]

Well ... yesterday was the day that UFO - Lights Out In Tokyo was to be released. I WILL buy this title, with every expectation of the usual Silverline crap ... ONLY because I don't have the CD and I really like UFO. I swear though, this is their VERY LAST CHANCE. If they have done the same old 'play it in the hallway and record the echo' garbage as ALL the other times ... they can rot in hell. Mike.

 

[Bob Romano]

Gee, how do you REALLY feel?

I feel your pain my friend. I have been waiting for this title too. I love UFO and even if it has the hallway treatment I guess I will listen to it but I sure wish they would do right by some of these artists (and us M/C heads for that matter) and do things the right way.

 

[danzigdan]

I have Motorhead's "Overkill" on order. I thought "Ace Of Spades" by Silverline was decent.

 

[timbre4]

I'll update the Silverline DVD-A "don't suck" list when I get home!

 

[GaryW]

I'll update the Silverline DVD-A "don't suck" list when I get home!

You joke, but that is a great idea. If there is not one already, a "Silverline that don't suck" list would be very useful in more ways than one. If people buy alot of their good releases and avoid the bad ones, Silverline might find it more profitable to go for quality over quantity. Just a thought, but we seem to have enough users here to compile a pretty good list.

 

[Quadzilla]

... and the upside Tim, is that it won't take you more than a few minutes! Mike.

... and I think that the Best of Atomic Rooster doesn't suck, if you want to add that to the list ... if that counts for anything ... but don't get me started on Uriah Heep!

 

[zabble]

Good idea to identify the rare "gold" amongst Silverline's "fool's gold".

Yep, thumbs up to Motorhead's "Ace of Spades".

I also recommend the self-titled release by Ziroq. A very well recorded, very discrete mix. The music has a world music-like sound to it. Spanish lyrics and spanish guitar. Lots of dense percussion and acoustic instruments with an underlying soft keyboard wash in the back ground. The instrumental track "Ziroq" has a middle eastern flavor to it.

I also have Jack Bruce's Silverline release "Shadows in the Air". It features his old band mate Eric Clapton on a couple of Cream remakes. Fairly interesting material. The 5.1 mix, however, is a let down. The rears and center channels sound like they were routed through a megaphone. Don't buy this one for the surround content only.

 

[LarryDavenport]

The only Silverline title I own is Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac - BBC and I think it's fine. I was shocked how they were able to make surround mixes out of what I thought were mono recordings.

 

[boris]

Jeez, will wonders ever cease? I've actually found a few Silverline/Sanctuary titles that don't suck! These titles contain honest-to-goodness surround mixes (as opposed to the fake surround from stereo that are still being cranked out by the label). I had to dig a lot of dirt to find a few gems, but here they are:

- Van Zant - Brother To Brother

Ronnie Van Zant of Lynyrd Skynyrd is long gone, but his siblings are still carrying his torch. I was very skeptical of this release but it is surprisingly good! Solid song-writing and very professional production.

- Motorhead - Ace Of Spades

Unlike most of the heavy metal that came out of the 80's, this album is straight-ahead no bullshit, stripped down rock and roll. Killer riffs and a bad attitude keep this one sounding as fresh today as it did 20 years ago. This one's a keeper!

- Ministry - Animositisomina

If you like your surround mix all over the map, then this one is for you. It is loud, aggressive and schizophrenic as hell! A masochistic ride that drills through your psyche. I like it!

- Blue Oyster Cult - A Long Day’s Night

This one is live but it is a bona-fide surround recording. The band is tight and the performances are hot. Unfortunately, the recording is not the best fidelity and sounds somewhat muffled and claustrophobic... but not overly so. I mean, it's still very enjoyable but it could be better. I don't know if I got a defective disc or what, but my player refuses to play the MLP tracks. I had to rely on the DD tracks. If anyone else picks this up, please let me know if you run into the same problem.

The last title on my list of "Silverline Gold" is the only one that does not fall under the Silverline/Sanctuary banner. This one is actually from Immergent, but they're all part of 5.1 Entertainment, so I figure it’s worth mentioning.

- Gus Black - Uncivilized Love

This one caught me by surprise. I didn't really know what to expect. I had never even heard of the guy before. I am happy to report that I enjoyed this one a great deal! I would say that Gus Black's style is reminiscent of Beck's, but with more of a contemporary pop focus. Excellent song-writing and production. The surround mix is strong but a tad on the conservative side, but I think it fits well with Gus' approach here.

I have the same problem with BOC - I can not play the MLP tracks on a toshiba sd 900 e dvd a player. I have emailed silverline about 4 weeks ago, but recieved no reply yet and probably won't

 

[rusinurbe]

The only Silverline title I own is Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac - BBC and I think it's fine. I was shocked how they were able to make surround mixes out of what I thought were mono recordings.

Mono when broadcast recorded on a maximum of two tracks whatever the surround is it is not going to ever be discrete.

When The BBC CD came out some years ago now I was surprised how good some of the recordings were, but they do fit into the 'live' sound rather than Studio quality.

 

[Quadzilla]

So, has anyone heard about UFO - Lights Out in Tokyo yet? I can't even find it at any online sellers ... although there is a guy on eBay with one, but he is starting at over 20 bucks for a Silverline title. It isn't even on the Silverline web site yet. I can't believe that I am ASKING about a Silverline title. I must have a fever. Maybe mad cow disease. Oh man, I AM in sad shape! Mike.

 

[Marcsten]

Well I have a small collection (5) of DVDAs, and they all have excellent surround mixes EXCEPT one, and it is a Silverline - XRay Specs. I always loved that disc and so bought it when I saw it on DVDA even though it was a Silverline. It is a great disc, although the order of the tracks is in a different order for some reason than the LP. That said, the surround mix is lame. There is pretty much a mix of sounds from the front and rear, with a guitar or some other instrument comming more from the rear while others are more from the front, but that's it. Say, like a half logic SQ decoder. That's about it. Not really worth the effort. I love Uriah Heep, but I'm not buying their DVDA, as I don't think its worth it. Any info that there are worthwhile Silverline discs would be worth knowing, as I don't plan to buy any others. Their website also has the 5.1 discs - these are the same or better than Silverlines?
Marc

 

[zabble]

So, has anyone heard about UFO - Lights Out in Tokyo yet?


I bought this one a couple of weeks ago at a local record store.

I got this Silverline disc knowing the risk involved only because I like UFO. Upon playing, I was disappointed (but not surprised) that this is another title of the usual Silverline quality with a stereo mix up front and a reverby bleed into the rears.

Now if you really like UFO and would buy it anyways, BEWARE: This is a show from 1992 with only two original members (Phill Mogg and Pete Way---no Michael Schenker). I was bummed when I read the credits but at least found the new recruits to be fairly competent. Furthermore, I was happily surprised to hear a couple of their classics take a looser approach instead of the usual strict song structures typical of most Schenker/UFO shows.

Bottom line, this is not a title to buy for the surround content alone.

 

[Quadzilla]

Thanks zabble, I expected as much. I will likely buy it, but I don't think that I will put a lot of effort into finding it. If I see it on the shelf ... but I doubt whether I will get into a bidding war with Cai for one on eBay! Mike.

 

[dougi]

OK
Can't find reviews on these title although i'm sure it has got to be here somewhere
Inside The Music - New Wave
Inside The Music - Classic Rock ?

Classic Rock i believe is the name ( Thorogood , Sugarloaf etc )
How are these disc's ?
I'm sure i have heard that New Wave is a good title for surround
Also ordered Motorhead Ace Of Spades which you guys seem to endorse
Dougi

 

[Bob Romano]

I have both and enjoy them. They contain true 5.1 remixes.

 

[dougi]

Whew !!!!!
Pretty bad when ordering disc's is like playing Russian Roulett
Thanks Bob
I ordered both along with Dire Straits
Dougi